Fresh Speaking
(Judy's notes from Lord's Day fellowship, Jan. 31, 2010)
Now we come to the letter to Philadelphia. Such a letter is too awesome to touch – where do we begin or end, & how can we do it justice, yet, still, we do have to speak it for the Lord gave us this letter.
In Matt 13:44, the kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid, and in his joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. In Matt. 13:45-46, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking fine pearls and finding one of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. In Eph. 5:25-27 – we see husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church & gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her (make her holy).
In each letter to the seven churches, the Lord presents Himself to fit that particular situation, & also to present something - with Philadelphia, He will produce a holy church (He is the holy One). He makes something - His counterpart to match Himself. With the example of the pearl, there is a change (from first being a grain of sand that irritates the oyster to its becoming a precious pearl). This change doesn't happen overnight, it's a long process.
We then read Exodus 23:30 - the Lord had taken the children of Israel out of Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, etc. this was a long way. Again, the process wasn't overnight, but, little bit by little bit. When the children of Israel were about to go into the good land, the Lord told them that they would be fruitful & would conquer the inhabitants of the land but not all at one time - but little by little. It wouldn't be, "poof", all done, no, it would be little by little.
The same is with the progression of the whole Bible, & it is the same with our Christian life - it is little by little. Pentecost was a big step, Acts, was another big step, but still it was little by little. In our life, the Lord moves little by little in us.
In the 7 letters, each letter is significant in a certain age historically. Keeping the pearl in mind, He is after something & is gaining something. In Ephesus, there is the need for them to keep their 1st love - this is the basis for going on - care for that first love. He is also holding the 7 stars, walking in the midst of the lampstands. We have to be in the right place. Repentance & first love is for the lampstand, if you get away from the lampstand, you've gotten away from where He is moving.
In Smyrna, there is the suffering, persecuted church, & what He's doing is in resurrection. He makes resurrection the a basis of the early church, - not that we'd live in our natural man, but that we'd live in resurrection. In our walk with the Lord, we are in a path - stay in love, stay in resurrection. This takes us out of the picture, for our living is not by our old man, but our living is in Christ!
In Pergamos, you see that though there's an enemy, the pearl is defeating the enemy! In Matt, the treasure is there, but it is in a field., and with the pearl, it is in the sea. How about us? We are in the world, we are surrounded by the world. So, what should we do? Stay in the lampstand, and stay in the 1st love! In this way, even though we are in the middle of Satan's kingdom, & reign, the enemy will be defeated!
In Thyatira, we see the battleground. Right after man was created, Satan came in. Man's heart is the battleground, & man's heart is deeply entrenched by Satan. It is away from God, it is in self satisfaction, self exaltation, etc. Still, God gains, little by little.
In Sardis, based on His perfect redemption & blood, God gains us back by Christ in our spirit. Now with God we can fellowship. We have some experience of His presence. He has come to us both with a smile, as well as with bronze feet, etc. We have come to know Him. In our lives, we go through milestones. We pass them over & over. It doesn't mean that we're done. No, it's all little by little. In Sardis, we now begin to see recovery. Christ coming into us as our life, but with Sardis there is a stunted growth - they thought they were alive, but they were not living in life. The principle is keep growing in life.
Ephesus means desirable, to keep Him as their 1st love, then little by little, we come to Philadelphia where there is brotherly love! What an accomplishment! We know that we have passed from to life because we love the brothers (1Jn 3:14)! The church is in life because of the very name, and because of the love of the brothers! The Lord is accomplishing what He is after, His consummate goal - the pearl is in the church!
We are in a wonderful place! He will gain the perfect completion of His goal, His pearl, the church. In Rev. 21: 2, John saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband. Completed, adorned for her husband! In Rev. 3: 7-13, He speaks, I know your works, little by little I have put before you an opened door. He diagnoses the heart, for the works come from the heart. Here, the church's heart & His heart are one. At the end of the Bible, there is the New Jerusalem.
In Philadelphia His name is written into you - the New Jerusalem. Our seeking is no longer for what our heart is after, but our seeking is, "What is Your heart?" Early on in our Christian walk, we don't have that thought. Gradually you say, "Lord, You must have Your goal, not what's on my heart, but what is on Your heart, what You are after. Something of Himself has been etched into our heart. He is the holy One, He is the only One for God, and set apart for God. Now, I'm not for me anymore, for my job, etc. - I am for You. He is the true One who is reality bringing you into all the reality! Christ lives in me, He wants to be real. Every moment He is etching something into us. This is accomplished in the church after passing the milestones. Lord, may our heart continually be a heart that is going after You, pursuing You as our everything.
Some testimonies:
God's goal is the heart, and to have endurance is for all our life – to hold fast is lifelong.
These letters are the revelation of Christ and His speaking to us. Through His speaking - we have the realization, "you are not yet full of Me".
Little by little - are you in the church in Philadelphia? This depends - are you growing little by little? The New Jerusalem is a process, it is not that one day you are going to get there - it depends on "little by little". The name New Jerusalem is put on them because of the "little by little", the New Jerusalem is written on you because of the "little by little" being etched into you all through your Christian life. Eventually the name is who you are.